Category: Photography Tips & Tricks

Workshop at the Ranch

By Michael Fletcher
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Dave Black has a wonderful website. One of his monthly features is called Workshop at the Ranch. There he gives insightful tips on how to use off-camera flash in creative ways. Although anyone using wireless flash units can benefit from Dave’s experience, his series is of particular interest to Nikon shooters using SB-800s and the Nikon Creative Lighting System.

I make it a point to check back each month to learn more from this master of Nikon flash. I particularly like his method of using warm gels with SB-800 Speedlights to create warm subject lighting and a cool blue background. I think it works particularly well for sports portraits, but I’ve used it for a variety of subjects.

Alicia with Basketball

This is an example using Dave’s technique for a Senior Portrait.

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Photographing People in Public Places

By Elizabeth West
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For years, I was too shy to ask to take a stranger’s picture. Normally, I’m not at all shy. I’ll talk to anyone. But stick a camera in my hand and I would become horribly self-conscious. I thought it a bit presumptuous to ask to take someone’s picture. After all, I wasn’t a “real” photographer but only a hobbyist.

ballerina

I did take photographs of people who were unaware. Some were interesting pictures, I thought, that captured moments or moods. They were small slices of real, unrehearsed and unself-conscious life. I think such pictures have an important place in any photographer’s repertoire, but I am not discussing those here.

Then I read up on various ways that street photographers took pictures without being noticed. These surreptitious shots did not appeal to me, though, because they seemed a bit sneaky. I wanted either pictures of people completely unaware, or pictures of people who were totally aware. I did not want to furtively snap images of people who did not want their pictures taken.

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Take Pictures at Night, Too

By Elizabeth West
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A year ago, I was afraid to shoot pictures at night. I thought it was a horribly complicated undertaking that would leave me frustrated and confused. Then I heard a fifteen minute talk on night shooting and saw a group of pictures taken one night by both inexperienced and experienced photographers. I was hooked.

Fine ArtsFirst, I loved the images that this group presented. Some were gaudy, while others were surreal, but even the greenest photographer was able to capture something interesting. Second, the process sounded relatively simple. The main requirements were a tripod and a willingness to play.

A few nights later, I went to a nearby town and took dozens of pictures. Some were disasters, but others were delights. Now I do night shoots frequently.

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Digital Photography Podcasts

By John Watson
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PodcastsHere’s a roundup of some good photography podcasts I’ve noticed recently. These podcasts cover the gamut from photography lessons, to gear reviews, interviews, Photoshop tutorials, discussions of fine art, and a lot more.

What’s a podcast, you ask? In a nutshell, they’re internet radio programs that you can subscribe to for free and listen to on your computer or mp3 player. Click here for more information about podcasts. You can subscribe to these using iTunes or other podcatching applications (I use Miro) or even just your normal RSS feed reader.

I’m a regular listener of Tips from the Top Floor and The Digital Photography Show. They’re both great shows and are fun to listen to.

Leave a comment if you know of other photography related podcasts that you think are worth listening to.

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Anatomy of a photo edit: Our love is all of God’s money

By John Watson
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Our love is all of God's moneyI think that post-processing is an integral part of photography whether you are processing your own black and white prints in a smelly darkroom or using Photoshop. As my abilities as a photographer have improved over the years, I’ve found it more and more likely that I will shoot a photo with a particular final look in mind. That was the case when I shot this photo recently so I thought I’d share my editing process with you. If you like this article, you may also like my previous Anatomy of a photo edit: Ready in 3 minutes.

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Photos Help You Sell

By Elizabeth West
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Many photographers started using digital photography only when they needed pictures for online auctions and sales. In fact, sales pictures are still a major reason why people use digital cameras. Luckily, shooting pictures to help you sell items is not difficult, but you should keep a few things in mind.

First, your picture should clearly show the item. Although this sounds too obvious to mention, it’s not. Many people upload blurry, dark images that make viewers squint at their screens and scratch their heads. Maybe the photographer thought, “Close enough!” However, potential buyers are likely to move on to something that they can see and don’t have to imagine.

For example, if a bookshelf has drawers, open one slightly so people will realize that they are not mere decorations. If you’re shooting a porcelain sugar bowl, be sure that the shape, pattern, and lid are clearly visible. If you’re selling a cup, show the handle and shape; if your product is a book, slant it so that buyers can see both spine and cover.

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Get sunset and sunrise times for any location on Earth

By John Watson
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Sunset/sunrise tables screenshotPhotographers know that the best light of the day usually happens at sunrise and sunset. I’m happy to announce the availability of a helpful utility that lets you use a map to find your location on the Earth and then instantly creates a table of sunset and sunrise times and moon phases.

Choose one of the dozens of pre-set locations or create your own custom location (with precision right down to the street level, if you like). The last location you selected on the map is automatically restored the next time you visit the page making it extremely easy to get up-to-date information.

Get sunset and sunrise times for any location on Earth

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Mastering a Subject

By Elizabeth West
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daisy showerDo you take the same types of pictures over and over again? You know what I mean—hundreds of flower images (or cars or cats or whatever) fill your photo albums, but no portraits, buildings, action shots, or street scenes. One school of thought urges you to push yourself to shoot what does not come naturally. However, I have another suggestions: stick with what you love, but work to perfect that subject.

There is a vast difference between lacking the imagination to try new subjects and deliberately working on one subject to develop skills. The first is a type of laziness; the second is a path to mastery. I like to think that I’m following the second path, but I’m too close to tell, so I’m going to use another example, flickr photographer Steve Wall.

Now, I’ve never met Steve; I know nothing about his life; he isn’t even an online correspondent, or at least he wasn’t until I asked permission to use his photos. But I have been following his photography on flickr for a few years because I saw some pictures of his that I liked and marked him as a contact.

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Location as important as technique when shooting fireworks

By John Watson
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Fireworks by Mr Magoo ICUJuly 4th is just around the corner and with that comes another opportunity to get that classic fireworks shot you’ve always dreamed of. We’ve already covered the techniques you need to know and equipment necessary to shoot fireworks well. The methods are the same as last year. But an important point to keep in mind is that vantage point and location (especially secret locations like the one in the photo at right) are just as important as technique.

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5 practical tips for cutting your own mats

By John Watson
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RulerI don’t know if I hate cutting mats because I only do it a few times a year or if I only do it a few times a year because I hate it. If I did it more often I’d certainly be better at it which theoretically would mean it was easier for me. I mostly stick with standard, easy to find sizes. But once in a while I go off my rocker and want to do some goofy size and convince myself that it’ll be great to save a bunch of money doing it myself. I just finished cutting a bunch of mats tonight and probably saved about $100. But now I’m all grumpy. If you’ve likewise taken leave of your senses, here are some tips (to supplement the instructions that come with your mat cutter) that may help you keep your sanity:

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